Exile of Lucifer (2 page)

"Truly the Lord had marked him for great things."         11
The odor of flowers hung heavily in the house and beautiful
flowers were also represented in various art forms. Serus made
sure to fill the many vases with pungent blooms, and the extensive
gardens in the rear teemed with delicate blossoms. Lilacs were a
particular passion with Lucifer. He entered the audience chamber
where Michael stood waiting.
"Brother Michael," Lucifer said as he glided into the room and
grasped Michael's hands. "What a pleasant surprise!" They
embraced each other. "Or is it Lord Michael, now?" He smiled.
"Just Michael, my dear brother," Michael said with good
humor. "There is only one true Lord in Heaven."
"And a splendid arrangement at that," Lucifer agreed, look-
ing at the powerful angel who had entered his house.
The archangel Michael commanded respect from the entire
Host of Heaven. While Lucifer was a creature of unmatched beau-
ty, Michael was a warrior of virtue, with tremendous strength.
Powerfully built, he had long brown hair like a mane over his
broad shoulders. His handsome features were accented by his eyes,
which were deep green and piercing. Michael was the chief warrior
angel and the captain of the Lord's Host. As such, he commanded
a large and loyal contingent of angels dedicated to upholding the
authority of God and carrying out His will.
Lucifer looked at the jewel-encrusted sword that hung from a
golden sheath around Michael's waist. The sword was the insignia of
his rank as an archangel; an honor recently conferred upon him by
the Lord with great ceremony. Lucifer had arranged the service and
this was the first occasion since that he and Michael had spoken.
"You've come so very far, my friend," said Lucifer, indicating
the sword. "It must be a great honor to have so much authority
vested in you."
"The Lord is gracious," agreed Michael. "His confidence in
me is truly humbling. I only hope I can be half the servant that this
represents." He patted the sword's handle at his side.
"Come now, Michael," said Lucifer, "of all the angels in Heav-
en who could possibly be better suited as archangel? Who? Maybe

12           CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile            of Lucifer
Serus here?" he said, pointing at the smaller angel. "That will be all
for now, Serus."
Serus nodded and excused himself from the room, bowing as
he went. Michael watched the little steward quietly shut the heavy
chamber door as he exited the room.
"Well, actually that's why I am here," said Michael, a little dis-
turbed with the way Lucifer had dismissed Serus. His sense of mis-
sion overcame this distraction and he went on. "In an official
capacity, that is. I'm here to coordinate with you a ceremony for the
installation of another archangel."
"Really? Another archangel?" said Lucifer, trying to contain
his curiosity. "And so soon after your own pronouncement! To
whom go the honors this time?"
"A friend to both of us. The Most High has decided that
Gabriel shall stand in His presence with the full authority of
Archangel, and will retain his responsibilities as Chief Messenger
to the Kingdom! Isn't this a great honor for our brother?"
"Quite," agreed Lucifer. He looked up and drummed his chin
with his fingers as if in deep thought about the service he must now
orchestrate. "I shall have to make this a most memorable occasion
for Gabriel. After all, how often does one become an archangel?"
He paused. "Though it does seem rather commonplace with Him
these days, doesn't it?"
Michael ignored Lucifer's casual use of "Him" in reference to
the Most High.
"Let's go over the details," he said, quelling the uneasiness he
felt brewing.
"Of course," said Lucifer.
He motioned to the other side of the room where a beautiful-
ly engraved conference table with high-backed chairs was set up. It
was here that Lucifer met with his Council of Worship for the Most
High. Michael approached the chair that Lucifer pulled out for him.
His sword noisily scraped the massive leg at the end of the table.
"Sorry about that," Michael said, a little embarrassed. "I guess
this will take some getting used to."

"Truly the Lord had marked him for great things."         13
"Yes," said Lucifer, looking at the sword. "It will take some
getting used to."
----------------
Michael was relieved when the meeting with Lucifer was fin-
ished. He didn't enjoy the fellowship with his brother angel as he
once did. Something had changed in Lucifer's manner...but what
was it? Michael pondered these things on his way to visit his
friend Gabriel. As he walked, he mentally cataloged the person and
position of Lucifer, trying to determine why he seemed so difficult
of late.
Lucifer enjoyed one of the most prominent and seemingly
rewarding posts in Heaven. He was chief lord over worship, a cre-
ative genius who could compose everything from a vastly sophisti-
cated work with an angelic choir of thousands to simple praises of
devotion that were utterly inspiring.
Not only that, he was the most attractive creature alive, and
not just in outward appearance, though that was staggering. No, he
possessed an inner beauty, a sacred presence difficult to describe.
God had so created Lucifer that holy praise manifested from his
very being, and one could not spend a length of time with him and
not feel compelled to worship the Almighty. It was legend among
the angels that to be with Lucifer was intoxicating, even enchant-
ing, as one drank in the very nearness of God.
Michael certainly did not feel like worshiping as a result of
today's meeting with Lucifer. Today he felt...was it tension? Resent-
ment? Surely Lucifer, of all angels, was not jealous of the recent
promotions of his old friends. His ministry allowed him access to
the Eternal Throne, something reserved for only the Twenty-four
Elders and a few select creatures. Lucifer's was a privileged posi-
tion. As he neared Gabriel's house, Michael decided that he wouldn't
make any hasty judgments about Lucifer until he consulted with
his friend, but he was going to stay on top of the situation.
Since becoming a ruling angel, Michael felt that it was his
duty to represent the Most High in all circumstances. Whether
leading in examples of holiness and reverence to the Lord, or

14           CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile           of Lucifer
encouraging other angels in their tasks; or being on the alert for
attitudes that reflected indifference or resentment to the Most High,
Michael was diligent in his duties. His closest friends thought that
he was a bit too diligent in his protective role and put it down to the
zeal of a new appointment that would eventually fade away. But
what many angels regarded as misguided enthusiasm, Michael
considered honorable and reasonable service.
Michael was also without a doubt the Lord's most ardent and
supportive angel. While all the angels held an allegiance to God,
Michael was passionately loyal to Him and always had been--long
before he was made an archangel. If other angels misunderstood
his actions at times, that was all the more indication to Michael that
they were not excelling for their King as they should be and that his
actions might serve as motivation.
A commander by design, Michael longed for the times when
the Lord would give him special services to perform, not so he
could impress Him with his ability, but serve Him in humility. It
was this passion for order in the Kingdom that stirred up his con-
cern for Lucifer all the more. Gabriel's house was now in view. Per-
haps together they could figure out a way to help their friend.
----------------
Lucifer walked around the room, dictating to Serus the details
for the ceremony. He spoke at a fever pitch, concocting and creat-
ing so rapidly that Serus had trouble keeping up with him. Serus
had learned rather unpleasantly about interrupting his master
while he was composing and dared not ask him to slow down.
Every so often Lucifer would pause and ask, "Are you getting that,
Serus?" and then continue on as before.
When the moment arrived for the creation of the manuscript
itself, Lucifer sat down at the end of the table and shut his eyes in
deep meditation. After several moments of silence the faint sound
of many instruments and voices poured forth from Lucifer, spilling
out of him. The music seemed to come from the area just over his
head but Serus was never sure, and too afraid to ask. The sound

"Truly the Lord had marked him for great things."          15
grew louder and louder until it reached a crescendo of joyous wor-
ship to the Lord, a holy presence filling the room.
When the music reached this dramatic moment, tiny crystals
of light, like thousands of shimmering diamonds, appeared in front
of Lucifer, dancing and swirling around like sparks from a roaring
fire. Serus watched as these beads of light pulsed with the music,
creating a dazzling whirlpool that joined to form a glowing, puls-
ing sphere, which lit up the entire room. The light was so intense
and the music so deafening now that Serus could scarcely remain
in the room.
Louder...LOUDER...
Suddenly, all was quiet.
Serus waited a moment or two, quietly surveying the scene,
and then unwrapped a large golden scroll that he had secured ear-
lier. He placed the scroll on the table directly beneath the sphere of
light that was hovering in front of Lucifer. He then stepped back a
few paces as a single white beam shot out of the ball (or praise
sphere as Lucifer called it) and began writing on the scroll as one
would write on a tablet. As the scroll became more and more
marked upon with the strange musical notations, the ball of light
grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely.
Lucifer remained seated for several moments, his eyes closed,
his hands folded in front of him. An exhaustion always set in after
one of these creative episodes and it took a little time for him to
recover his strength. Serus, meanwhile, rolled the scroll up and
placed it in a long golden container, along with some other notes
for the ceremony. It felt warm.
Finally Lucifer looked up and said, "Take that over to the
Council with my compliments. Tell them the details for the instal-
lation of Gabriel as archangel are complete. And tell them that, as
usual, I am most honored to be of service to the Most High in any
matter."
"Right away, excellency," replied Serus.
"And then come back immediately," said Lucifer. "I have
another task for you."
"As you command," said Serus.

16           CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile              of Lucifer
Chronicles of the Host
Before the Beginning
In the vastness of eternity past (something which no creature
can really grasp but of which there is no doubt), nothing exist-
ed except the Father, the Son and the Spirit in eternal harmo-
ny and perfection.
Theirs was, and is, and always will be a glorious relationship
of complete accord, anchored in perfect love and righteousness,
each His own Person, yet bound in a mysterious union which
is One. The relationship of the Three has always been a point
of debate and speculation among the Heavenly Host, and
angels of the greatest scholarship have looked into this per-
plexing issue, but of course no satisfactory explanation has
ever been offered.
The Kingdom of Heaven
So boundless is God's love, and so infinite His ability, that a
decision was made to create a kingdom inhabited by a vast
multitude with whom love could be shared forever and by
whom ministry would go forth to and from the Almighty.
Thus was born in the heart and mind of the Most High a king-
dom called Heaven, where God's love would be eternally man-
ifested to all He created, and through whom He would
minister His grace and goodness to subsequent creations.
How can a foolish angel possibly describe the wonders of the
Kingdom of Heaven except to say that it is all that one can
imagine as well as everything one cannot possibly imagine?
Splendidly crafted for the complete enjoyment of its future cit-
izens, Heaven was (and is) a place of utter beauty, with streets
of gold, seas of crystal, ever-blooming gardens nestled among
gently sloping hills, babbling brooks crisscrossed with deli-
cate footbridges, all underneath a canopy of the deepest, purest
blue imaginable.

"Truly the Lord had marked him for great things."               17
The Great City
At the very center of the Kingdom was the City of God, some-
times called the City of the North or the Holy City that was the
seat of God's presence and authority. Within the city was the
Great Temple of the Most High. A myriad of beings would fre-
quent the City, pouring into the Great Temple to worship their
Creator and serve Him. It was in the City, at the Great Acad-
emy of the Host, that the angels learned about God and their
service to Him and to one another.
Perched atop a magnificent mountain--the Most Holy
Mountain--the City, with its magnificent spires, could be
seen from anywhere in the Kingdom. The City was surround-
ed on four sides by a massive wall made of dazzling precious
stones with bejeweled gates at the center. Once inside, the
golden streets were laid out in a series of converging squares,
the center of which contained the Great Square framing the
Temple complex.
The City was thus the crowning jewel in the Kingdom out of
which flowed the will, purpose and grace of God. As He over-
looked the finished work and found it to be good, the Lord was
savoring the next phase of the creation: those who would actu-
ally inhabit Heaven and would serve the Kingdom in various
ways, as attendees and messengers--the angelic Host.
The Great Temple
The Holy Temple was designed to allow thousands and thou-
sands of worshiping angels access to the Most High. The Tem-
ple was the largest structure in Heaven, with three gigantic
columns on each on the four sides, each column crowned with
a different precious stone--twelve in all. During times of wor-
ship the complex was completely filled with worshipers
singing praise after praise to their King and Creator. Many
times the Lord's presence would spill out into the square and